A United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map illustrates Minnesota’s climate has grown subtly warmer over the past decades, impacting what grows best.

Local gardening stores are seeing the impact of the early start to planting season first-hand. The gardening interest at Leitner’s Garden Center in St. Paul is growing a little earlier than normal.

“Which is fun for us. We got to get everything set up with plenty of new products already. This is normally what it [foot traffic] would maybe look like the second or third week of May even,” Madeline Parks, Leitner’s Garden Center assistant manager, said.

The abnormally warm temperatures are causing plants to prosper.

“Sometimes by now we still have the lows like in the 30s or dipping into freezing. We’ve had snow this late before,” Parks said. “So the fact that the lows are in the 40s that helps a lot.”

It’s causing people to get their hands on gardening items early.

“I think getting your shrubs, your perennials and amending the soil right now,” Parks said.

Taking a look at the updated USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map could also help.

The zones are updated based on 30-year averages of the coldest temps. It shows an increase in Minnesota to Zone 5 in the south and central parts of the state.

A zone change means there was a temperature increase of up to five degrees.

Plant experts explained the jump to Zone 5 does not promise your plants will perform well.

The hardiness zone alone is just one factor. How it’s planted, soil type, light and overall care makes a difference too.

“You have to know those things and be willing to fail,” said Jillian Nelson, a Minneapolis gardener.

Twin Cities gardeners are doing their best to keep up with the ups and downs of Mother Nature but now planters may have a little extra luck this time around.

“I think you have to have patience for sure,” Nelson said. “If it can rain once a week, that’d be great. It’d be less work for me.”